If you're not sure about the file format required contact your lecturer.

Fonts

Use a clear, readable, sans serif font such as Verdana, Calibri, Tahoma or Arial, and be consistent and use the same font throughout.

Use black text on a white background. Avoid coloured backgrounds or text in a colour other than black unless you have special permission to use them (for example, if you're dyslexic).

Use 11 or 12 point for the body of your assignment.

Spacing

Use 1.5 or double spacing and fairly wide margins. This leaves room for the marker’s comments.

Leave a blank line between paragraphs.

If the questions are short, leave a blank line between each question. If they are long, start each question on a new page.

Left-justify your work (also known as left-aligned). Block-justified (flush left and right) might look tidy, but it’s harder to read as it can result in gaps between words.

Headings

Use bold for headings. Not underlining or italics.

Essays do not usually require subheadings; reports usually do.

Title page

Most assignments require a title page, which should include the following:

the title and number of the assignment

the course number and name

the due date

your full name and student number.

This information should be centered, starting approximately one third of the way down the page.

Numbering

Number all pages except the title page.

Tables and figures must be numbered and clearly labelled. Table captions are placed above the table, while captions for a figures go below the figure.

Don't number the items in a reference list.

Headers and footers

Insert a header or footer on each page (except the title page). It should contain:

your name (last name, first name/s)

your student number

the course number

the assignment number

the page number.

Word count

Include a word count (the number of words in your assignment) at the end of the assignment, before the references and appendices. Your assignment should not more than 10% under or over the prescribed word count. Remember that the title/title page, reference list and appendices are not included in the word count.

Word count calculator - Massey University website (opens in a new window)

Reference list

The reference list comes at the end of the assignment, and should start on a new page labelled 'References'.

Referencing and avoiding plagiarism

Appendices

Appendices are used for information that:

is too long to include in the body of your assignment, or

supplements or complements the information you are providing.

Start each appendix (if applicable) on a new page. If there's just one appendix label it ‘Appendix’ without a number, but if there are more than one label them Appendix A, Appendix B, etc. In the main text of your assignment, refer to the Appendix by the label, e.g. Appendix A.

Tops and bottoms of pages

Check the top and bottom of your pages to ensure they avoid:

widows - single lines of text at the top of a page

orphans - first lines of paragraphs at the bottom of a page

tombstones - headings or subheadings alone at the bottom of a page

split lists – lists that are divided between two pages (if possible).

General guidelines for hard copies

Most of the guidelines above also apply to hard copies (printed or hand-written documents). There are also a few additional things to note.

Handwritten submissions

Some courses allow handwritten answers, but make sure you check with your lecturer to make sure this is acceptable. When submitting a handwritten assignment:

Print or write on white A4 paper on one side only, using a blue or black pen.

Write legibly – if a marker can’t read what you’ve written, your answer might as well be wrong.

If you make a mistake, use correction fluid or draw a neat line through the mistake.

If there are too many mistakes and your work looks messy, rewrite it.

Use a ruler for tables and graphs.

Underline headings.

Stapling your assignment

Staple multi-page assignments in the top left corner only.

Don’t put your assignment in a plastic folder.

Attach an 'Assessment Return Sheet' (coversheet) to you assignment. (If you don't have one Contact us).

Related information

Submitting your assignments

Types of assignments

What lecturers want in your assignments

Formatting and layout

Assignments vary in their requirements for formatting and layout. Check for formatting requirements in your course materials or with your course co-ordinator. Aim for consistency in your formatting.

The most common format is as follows:

Print the assignment on A4 paper, one-sided.

Do not put the assignment in a folder unless instructed to; simply staple pages together.

Use a clearly legible font and font size (12 point is the most common size).

Give the assignment a left margin of around 3 centimetres so that markers can insert comments.

Use 1.5 or double line-spacing.

Keep the space between paragraphs consistent. Two styles are:

Do not indent paragraphs, and leave a blank line between paragraphs. (This is the most common style.)

Indent the first line of each paragraph, but leave no spaces between paragraphs.

Always double-check for the formatting requirements of your individual paper.

Cover sheet

If one has been provided, attach a cover sheet to the front of the assignment. Distance assignments use a standard cover sheet; internal assignment cover sheets are often provided by your department or course co-ordinator.

Title page

Most assignments do not require a title page - all the necessary information is already included on the cover sheet. However, title pages are sometimes needed for longer assignments, postgraduate assignments, or certain types of report.

The format of these title pages varies according to the specific requirements of the assignment, but typically contain:

The title, centred, approximately one third of the way down the page

The date of the assignment's submission

The author's name and ID number

The marker's name

The paper number and name

Headings

Some assignment types require headings and sub-headings, whereas others do not use any.

Essays, for example, do not usually use sub-headings unless you have specific instructions that they can be included. The only sub-heading common in essays is ‘References’, for the reference list. Instead of headings, the first sentence of each paragraph should signal the topic to the reader (see essay body paragraphs for more on this).

Reports, on the other hand, often require specific headings such as ‘Introduction’, ‘Discussion’, and so forth.

If you are unsure whether to use headings or not, ask your course co-ordinator for clarification. If you do use headings and sub-headings, keep the style consistent throughout the assignment.

Appendices

Most assignments do not use appendices, but sometimes you need to include additional information, transcripts, questionnaire details, or raw data. These should go in an appendix.

If there is only one appendix, it is given the title “Appendix”. If there are several appendices, each is given a letter (follow the same order that they are mentioned in the body of the assignment): “Appendix A”, “Appendix B”, “Appendix C”, etc.

The title is used to refer to the appendix in the body of the assignment:

The analysis shows that the mean was well above expected (see Appendix B for details).

Style guides differ on whether the appendices should come before or after the reference list / bibliography.

APA style (the style most commonly used at Massey University) and Massey University's Thesis Presentation Guide put the appendices after the reference list / bibliography.